1 - 6 The Song of the One Hundred and Forty-four Thousand
1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb [was] standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard [was] like [the sound] of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These [are] the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless. 6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;
V1. A new scene is shown to John and he invites you with the regularly reoccurring “behold”, to watch together with him. He taps, as it were, on your shoulder and points with his finger to a certain direction and says: Look at that! If you are still thinking about the horrible developments of the previous chapter, you immediately come to rest here. Both beasts with their slanderous, murderous and deceitful actions, give way to “the Lamb” and His righteous and benevolent performance. In the Lamb you see how God is beyond all rages of hatred, violence and lie and calmly does His own work in those who are His.
For the first time in the book of Revelation you do not see the Lamb in heaven, but on earth, “on Mount Zion”, and particularly in connection with the remnant from the two tribes. Zion is the mountain in Jerusalem that God has chosen to place His sanctuary there (Psa 78:68). He will also establish the throne of the kingdom of David there. That mountain represents the grace in contrast to Mount Sinai that represents the law (Heb 12:22; Psa 125:1; 126:1).
With the Lord Jesus you see one hundred and forty-four thousand people standing. This number symbolically indicates fullness. In Revelation 7 this number is also mentioned (Rev 7:4-8). There it refers to a fullness of people from all twelve tribes and they are seen before the great tribulation (Rev 7:1-3). Here it is about a fullness of the two tribes in the land, although with this hundred and forty-four thousand there are certainly also some believers from the ten tribes, who however as a whole are still in the dispersion. This group comes from the great tribulation. They have remained faithful to the Lord. They have refused the mark of the beast on their forehead. Now on their forehead is written, as a special distinction, the name of the Lamb and the name of His Father.
V2. While the Lamb is standing on Mount Zion with the faithful remnant, John hears “a voice from heaven”. It is a mighty, awesome voice. At the same time it is also a lovely and melodic voice. What a contrast to the bragging and boasting of the beast. This voice and this music are purposed for the faithful remnant that has gone through so much suffering. It is heavenly music, played by heavenly saints for the saints on earth. Heaven and earth are brought into harmony.
V3. John does not hear just music, but he also hears something that sounds like “a new song”. It is sung by people in heaven. These singers are not the elders, the believers of the Old Testament and that of the church (Rev 4:4). The song is not sung by them, but for them. It is also sung “before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders”. It is a song heard with approval by the symbols of the kingdom of God, that is the throne and the living creatures. The singers of the song are believers who after the rapture of the church were killed because of their faithfulness to the Lord and who share in the first resurrection (Rev 20:4-6).
They teach those who are on earth to sing the song. The saints in heaven and the saints on earth from Israel are clearly related to each other. The saints on earth are further referred to as “who had been purchased from the earth” which indicates the contrast to ‘those who dwell on the earth’. They do not stand beside the Lamb on Mount Zion on the basis of their own merits, but on the basis of the redemption work of the Lamb. The same goes for those who are in heaven. They too do not owe it to themselves that they have come there, but also because of what the Lamb has accomplished on the cross of Golgotha.
The Lamb is on earth, but the Lamb is also in heaven. From heaven, where the Lamb stands as if slain (Rev 5:6), the new song is being taught. Can that new song have a different content than the Lamb? In heaven and on earth it is sung what the Lamb has accomplished. The connection between heaven and earth becomes possible only because of the Lamb and His work on the cross.
V4. A further description of the one hundred and forty-four thousand follows. Some features or characteristics of them are mentioned. The first is that these faithful ones are “chaste”, which is applied to both men and women. It means that they granted their love not to another, but only to Him. They have not let themselves be seduced by enticing people or ideas to become unfaithful to Him.
During the time of the great tribulation, a time that is full of temptations, they have kept themselves clean from literal and spiritual fornication (cf. 2Cor 11:2). It is the time in which the roman-catholic church will expose herself as the great harlot (Rev 17:1-6). It will take a huge effort to remain clean, because the world is full of uncleanness. It is already the case, but then it will be more abundant.
The second characteristic is that they “follow the Lamb” right through the great tribulation “wherever He goes”. Here you also have the secret by which they kept themselves chaste: their eyes are continuously focused on the Lamb. This is a great example of how you can keep yourself clean. Loving the Lamb determines where they go and what they do. Where He goes and is, there they go and are. That is rewarded by the Lamb. They were with Him in the tribulation, now they are allowed to be with Him in His glory. This reward is also waiting for you if you stay with the Lamb.
The third characteristic is their advanced position. They are “first fruits to God and to the Lamb”. ‘First fruits’ have got to do with the harvest. First fruits are the first collection, while the great harvest is yet to be gathered. This is the case with this company. Together with many others they have been purchased from among men by the blood of the Lamb. Among those who are purchased, these one hundred and forty-four thousand are the first fruits that are allowed to share in the blessings of the kingdom of peace. Shortly after that a great harvest will follow, both from Israel and from the nations (cf. 1Cor 15:23; Jam 1:18).
V5. The last characteristic mentioned is that “no lie was found in their mouth” (Zep 3:13; cf. 1Pet 2:22b). Humanly speaking they have delivered a supernatural performance in this way. They could do that only because of their attachment to Christ as the truth (Jn 14:6). They lived in a time that was full of lies and deceit. It was not possible to survive without lying and deceiving. But they kept standing and did not allow themselves to be dragged by the gushing floods of lies that were poured out over the world by the beast and his henchmen.
The biggest lie is the denial of the Father and the Son (1Jn 2:21-23). But they have testified uncompromisingly of the truth concerning the Father and the Son. It is the joy of the Spirit to testify of them that “they are blameless”.
V6. In verses 1-5 we watched the scene from after the great tribulation. Now we turn back to the time of the great tribulation. Several scenes of that time are highlighted in the rest of this chapter. In total there are six angels connected to those scenes. The last angel you have seen was the seventh and last trumpet angel (Rev 11:15). The first angel here is not a new trumpet angel, but “another angel”, the first of a new group of angels.
This angel is flying in midheaven. In that position, he can be seen and heard by everyone on earth. He has a special assignment and that is to preach the “everlasting gospel”. This shows how great the love and grace of God are. Also in that particularly serious time God allows the good news – for that is the meaning of the word ‘gospel’ – to be proclaimed.
The everlasting gospel is a gospel that is not connected to a certain period. It is valid at all times and for everyone. It comes to “those who live on the earth” for the last time, whatever group they belong to, so that they may repent before God’s judgments break loose. An angel has no part in the redemption, but he can surely pass on a good news of general scope (cf. Lk 2:10).
When it comes to the gospel of grace, an angel must step back. You see that in the history of Philip and the Ethiopian. An angel led Philip to the Ethiopian, but it was Philip who preached the gospel of grace to the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26,35).
Now read Revelation 14:1-6 again.
Reflection: Which characteristics of those who follow the Lamb can be applied to you?
7 - 13 Messages From Three Angels
7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” 8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” 9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
V7. The everlasting gospel is not muttered unintelligibly, but it is preached “with a loud voice”. It goes beyond all noise on the earth. The content of this everlasting gospel is simply: fear God, give Him glory and worship Him. The necessity of this gospel is just as simple, namely, because the hour of God’s judgment has come. Repentance begins with the fear of God (Lk 23:40). God is an awesome God Who will punish every sin, disobedience and rebellion.
As soon as a person realizes that he has sinned against God, he becomes afraid, for he then discovers that God is a wrathful God. Then the soul that is convicted of his sins will give glory to God. He will certainly acknowledge that God would be righteous if He would condemn him to hell and if He would visit the world in its entirety with disasters and plagues. Each person who acknowledges that will not be condemned, but he will pass out death into life (Jn 5:24). Finally, such a person becomes a worshiper of God Who gave him such a great grace.
God is presented here as the Creator. As the Creator He has the right to the worship of His creatures. That worship will be claimed by the beast in that time on earth. But God will never give up His rights. He appeals to us to respect those rights, though without coercion (yet).
V8. Then “another angel, a second one”, appears. Because in verse 9 there is mention of “a third one”, it indicates that there is a ranking in the events. What this angel announces emphasizes the necessity to heed the call of the first angel. The hour of God’s judgment is heralded with the judgment on Babylon. It is “Babylon the great”, because it had great thoughts about itself and also because it had great influence on the nations. But God brings an end to that. Judgment on Babylon is described in detail in Revelation 17-18.
In the words “fallen, fallen” you hear the echo of the prophecy of Isaiah (Isa 21:9). The cry of the angel means a warning of the judgment to come, the result of which is communicated here. God never judges without warning. It should keep people from throwing themselves in the arms of “the mother of harlots” (Rev 17:5) and to be overwhelmed by her tempting religious beauty and splendor.
The overwhelming wealth and worldly charm have made Babylon a desired partner of all nations. World leaders eagerly make contact with the Vatican. They like to drink a sip with her from the wine of her harlotry. They thought they were enriching themselves in getting close with this harlot. It was a harlot whom you did not have to pay, but who paid herself for the harlotry that she committed.
But they will have to pay a high price for their flirtations. They do not realize that by drinking of the wine of the passion of her immorality they expose themselves to the wrath of God (Rev 16:19; 17:2; Jer 51:7-8). As they have wanted to share in her opulence, so they will share in her fall. Everyone who does not withdraw from the great Babylon will receive of her plagues (Rev 18:3-4).
V9. “Then another angel, a third one” appears. He announces with a loud voice a message to those who have connected themselves with the beast by worshiping him and by receiving the mark of his name on their forehead or hand. You have come across these people in Revelation 13 (Rev 13:12,16). Here, people who have not yet had that done are given a last chance to repent. The warning is, not to be marked. This means that they must face the great pressure of expulsion from the social life.
V10. Whoever, despite this last appeal, sticks to his choice for the beast chooses for an indescribable and endless torment. There will be no softening of God’s wrath for those who are attached to the beast. The torment will happen “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” (cf. Lk 16:23-26), for they have been horribly provoked by these inventors and executors of the greatest wickedness. This will not work up feelings of gloating with the holy angels and the Lamb.
Whoever has lived in rebellion against heaven will, beside the bodily torment “with fire and brimstone”, be tormented by something else. While suffering those hellish pains, the remorse that he could have been in the atmosphere of the heavenly angels and in the presence of the Lamb, will continually gnaw at him.
V11. To the unspeakably bodily and mental torment another torment is added of which the gravity cannot be expressed in words. This torment is that there will never come an end to it. Also the absence of any moment of rest, a short respite in that torment is an indescribable increase of this horrible and unchangeable situation. Beside the deep seriousness that this verse contains, it is also a simple and adequate proof that the universal atonement is a harsh lie.
V12. The impressive previous warnings addressed to the unbelievers, are an exhortation for the saints to persevere. It will ensure them that it is better to be temporarily tormented by the beast than to be eternally tormented with the beast. Instead of joining in the general worship of the beast they live in obedience to “the commandments of God”. They also keep “the faith in Jesus”, that is the trust in Him Who was once on earth the Rejected. The authority of the Word of God and the love for the Son determine their life in the midst of the circumstances controlled by satan.
There is mention of ‘Jesus’ and not of ‘the Lord Jesus’ or ‘Jesus Christ’. ‘Jesus’ is the name that recalls the life of the Lord in humiliation on earth. These saints draw strength from the example of His life on earth. He has suffered under the predecessors of both the political and the religious beast. You recognize the representative of the Roman empire in Pilate and that of the apostate Judaism in Herod (Lk 23:12). By fixing their eyes on Jesus they will be able to suffer the greatest trials with perseverance and not succumb (Heb 12:1-3; Mt 24:13).
V13. God orders John to write that the saints who have lost their life because of the murderousness of beast, will lose nothing of the blessing that is promised to them. The earth considered that they deserved nothing but death. Heaven, in contrast, calls them blessed.
They died “in the Lord”. They have acknowledged and served Him Who was rejected on earth, as their Lord. In that way they have given Him the place that God has already given to Him with His return to heaven after the accomplishment of the work of redemption (Acts 2:36; Phil 2:11). Their tribute to Him for which they had to pay with their life, is rewarded by God by giving them a place with Him. The expression “from now on” makes clear that it is about believers who were killed because of their testimony.
With an emphatic “yes” the Spirit confirms what John must write concerning the blessing of those who died in the Lord. The voice from heaven is the voice of the Spirit, Who is also God. At that time, the Spirit does not dwell on earth anymore, for with the rapture of the church the Spirit also left the earth. Wherever the church dwells the Spirit also dwells (Jn 14:16; 1Cor 3:16; 2Thes 2:7b). The situation will then be like it was before the church was on earth. Then the Spirit did not dwell on earth, but He was working on earth.
After His confirmation, the Spirit points to the consequences of their death: “They may rest.” After they have gone through all uproar and persecution, they now experience a beneficial rest. What a contrast to the endless restlessness of those who are in never ending torment (verse 11)! Just a little, and then the slain saints will also be rewarded for their deeds.
Their deeds of faith are not left behind on earth, but “follow with them”. The deeds of all who have been killed after the rapture will be remembered by God. Nothing will be forgotten. They will receive the reward out of the hand of the Lord Jesus. It consists of being allowed to reign with Him in the kingdom of peace. For that reason it sounds: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” They are blessed indeed. Aren’t they?
Now read Revelation 14:7-13 again.
Reflection: What individuals or groups of individuals are addressed here?
14 - 20 The Two Harvests of the Earth
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud [was] one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered [the clusters from] the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. 20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
In this section we see two scenes that both deal with judgment. Both scenes represent the judgment in the picture of a harvest. The first scene (verses 14-16) shows the judgment in the metaphor of a wheat harvest. The second scene (verses 17-20) shows the judgment in the metaphor of a wine harvest. That two metaphors are used means that the judgment has different aspects. Both scenes are related to the coming of the Lord Jesus.
V14. Together with John we look at the first metaphor. He sees “a white cloud”. ‘White’ speaks of cleanness, purity. Elsewhere is mention of a white horse (Rev 19:11) and a great white throne (Rev 20:11). The cloud makes us think of the glory in which God was in the midst of His people Israel. That cloud led the people through the wilderness and dwelled in the tabernacle and later in the temple (Exo 40:35; 1Kgs 8:10-11; cf. Mt 17:5).
Then John sees a person, One like “a son of man” (Rev 1:13; Dan 7:13). That is the Lord Jesus. He sits on the white cloud as He sits on the white horse and on the great white throne. Absolute purity is one of His characteristics in the exercise of judgment. He appears in Divine, royal glory, presented in the “golden crown” He has “on His head”. What a contrast to the crown of thorns that He once had on His head on earth. “In His hand” He has “a sharp sickle”. The instrument for the harvest has been sharpened, ready to cut the harvest in one smooth movement.
V15. The picture of the Lord Jesus on the cloud radiates rest. He waits for the time to act. Authority to execute judgment is given to Him because He is the Son of Man (Jn 5:27). Then another angel comes out of God’s holy presence to announce that the hour to judge has come. This is the hour which the Lord Jesus did not know of as Man, an hour that was only known by the Father (Mk 13:32).
The reason for judgment is also given and is clear. An end has come to all patience, for “the harvest of the earth is ripe”. ‘Ripe’ possibly has the meaning of ‘rot’, which therefore indicates the incorrigible corrupt moral condition of the earth, so that the judgment that will be executed will be fully justified. ‘Ripe’ also indicates that God has shown an excess of patience before He makes that judgment to be executed.
V16. When it has been announced that the hour has come, the Lord Jesus comes into action. He swings His sickle over the earth and reaps the earth. Now what’s going on here? In order to get a better picture of it you should take a look at the parable of the weeds (or tares) among the wheat in the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:24-30,36-43). There you see that with the wheat harvest a distinction is made between tares (a weed that looks very much like wheat) and wheat. When the harvest time has come – which is the moment that the Lord Jesus swings His sickle over the earth – the Son of Man says to His angels that they must gather all stumbling blocs, and those who commit lawlessness, and throw them into the furnace of fire.
In the parable you see some things that clarify the scene of the reaping of the earth. The Lord Jesus executes judgment, but He does so through His angels. The wheat harvest is a picture of the separation between good and evil (cf. Mt 3:12), but here the emphasis is on the judgment on the evil. In the end time the judgments are not executed at the same time, but they take place during the entire three and a half year period of the great tribulation. During all those different judgments the angels go out to reap away the unbelievers through judgment. They gather the weeds (the unbelievers who are judged) in bundles. The great Director, He Who directs everything, is the Man Jesus Christ.
V17. After these actions you become a witness of another scene that deals with the execution of judgment. You can see that by the “sharp sickle” which, as in the previous scene, also plays a major role here. As the harbinger of this judgment another angel comes out “of the temple which is in heaven”, that is, from the holy presence of God. Here it is not the Lord Jesus Who has the sharp sickle, but the angel. Just like the Son of Man he waits for a command to act. That command comes from another angel who comes after him.
V18. The second angel who appears in this scene does not come out of the temple, but “from the altar”. That makes the altar to be the starting point of this judgment. The thought of judgment is empowered because it is said of this angel that he “has power over fire”. Fire has to do with the exercise of judgment. You have come across the altar already. In Revelation 6 you have seen under the altar the souls of martyrs and you have heard them calling for vengeance (Rev 6:9-10). Their cry for vengeance is answered now. Also in Revelation 8 you have seen the altar in connection with judgment (Rev 8:5).
The altar in the Old Testament is the place where the sacrifices were brought as a picture of the true sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. The fire consumed the sacrifice. In this way the Lord Jesus has been in the fire of God’s judgment for each who believes in Him. However, he who rejects His sacrifice will have to undergo the fire of God’s judgment himself (Jn 3:36).
The angel from the altar with power over fire commands the angel with the sharp sickle to carry out the harvesting of “the clusters from the vine of the earth”. God presents His people Israel in the Old Testament amongst other things as a vine (Psa 80:8,14-15; Isa 5:2-7; Jer 2:21). In this picture He shows that He expected of His people that they would testify of Him in a way that He would receive fruit from them. That fruit would consist of the joy, of which the wine is a picture, that He would find in His people.
He did everything that could cause the people to deliver that fruit. But His people have used the fruit for themselves. They have thought only of their own joy and not of what God expected of them. They even rejected and killed the Owner (Mt 21:33-39).
When the Lord Jesus came to earth, He as the true vine (Jn 15:1) took the place of this depraved vine. He was rejected by His people. After He was rejected a new testimony was established, Christianity. The purpose of this new testimony was also that it should deliver fruit for God, that God would find His joy in it. All who are connected to the true vine, the Lord Jesus, and have life from Him, bear fruit for God.
There are also some who are connected with Him, but do not bear fruit, because they have no life from Him (Jn 15:2a,6). Their connection with Him is an apparent connection. They confess to be God’s witness on earth and confess to give Him fruit, but it is an illusion, untrue, false. They bring forth stinking fruits, just as did Israel in the past.
When the church is raptured, there is only a false Christian testimony on earth. This false Christian testimony will be cut off from the earth by the sharp sickle together with the apostate Jewish testimony. The Lord Jesus will judge every false confession when the false confessor has fully shown his apostasy.
V19. This judgment is different from the judgment that is represented by the picture of the wheat harvest. Here, there is no distinction. The whole harvest is thrown into the great wine press. The severity of this judgment is even more emphasized by the addition “the wrath of God”. Especially what is in name connected to Him, but in reality denies Him (2Tim 3:5), arouses His wrath. There is nothing else that God hates so much as hypocrisy. Therefore, He doesn’t wait until the grapes are overripe as with the wheat harvest. If the harvest is ripe, judgment comes.
The wickedness of the apostate testimony is great (Joel 3:13). This is why the place of judgment, where God will unleash His fierce wrath (Isa 63:1-6), is called “the great wine press”. This great wine press is Har-Magedon (Rev 16:16), where the nations are gathered to fight against God and His Anointed (Psa 2:2).
V20. The wine press is “outside the city”. That is, judgment takes place outside Jerusalem. To give you an impression of how terrible that judgment is, it is said how high the blood comes and how far it reaches. The blood of those who are killed will splash up to the bridles of the horses. The blood of those who are killed fills the whole land. The “distance of two hundred miles”, which is approximately three hundred kilometers, is the length of the land Israel from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.
This judgment is also the fulfillment of the cry: “His blood shall be on us and on our children” (Mt 27:25). At the same time this judgment means the purification of the land of the blood of the Lord Jesus Who was killed by them (Num 35:33). God fulfills His Word, both where it concerns His promises and where it concerns the prediction of judgment.
Now read Revelation 14:14-20 again.
Reflection: What are the differences between both harvests?